heart was suffering in the light of his coldness. There were times I bit my tongue to the point of drawing blood because I was tempted to swallow my pride and beg for a trace of acknowledgement and warmth during his nightly visits.
Though I never broke down and said a word, I had a feeling Alessandro knew and reveled in his undeniable triumph.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The Present
It was dark outside when we landed at the airport. I wondered where we were, but Alessandro pretended not to hear my question. I couldn't see any signs since we headed straight for the two cars waiting for us. Three of Alessandro's men entered one car. The fourth man acted as our chauffeur. In a daze and tired from the long trip, I fell asleep almost the exact second the car started moving. When I woke up, we were still driving. The heated voices of two radio hosts resonated through the speakers as they led a discussion about some kind of political scandal. The chauffeur and Alessandro exchanged snarky comments about the current Italian government. As I lifted my head and opened my eyes, I met Alessandro's dark gaze. He stared at me intently and failed to answer the chauffeur’s question. It felt as though I was the sole recipient of his attention.
“What?” I asked in a groggy voice, through half-opened lids.
His lips twisted into a glimpse of a smile. “Nothing. Can't I look at my wife for no reason?”
I parted my lips to say something, but the driver preceded me. “Signore Damiani...”
“Not now, Giulio,” Alessandro retorted in Italian without looking away from me.
Feeling self-conscious, I sat upright and created some distance between us. Alessandro observed my every movement, but didn't attempt coming closer.
“The truth is I like watching you when you sleep, cara,” he murmured in his rich drawl that made me glance toward him again. Our eyes met and he smiled. “I could do it for hours. There is an infinite appeal to that innocent, dreamy expression on your face. Not to mention you seem relaxed in my presence...unlike when you're awake and pull into yourself.”
I gulped, and ignored his delayed explanation of why he ogled me with such intensity. “Where are we?” I repeated the question I’d asked at the airport.
“Italy,” he deliberately teased. “Isn't that where I said we would be?”
I shook my head. “Alessandro, I'm not in the mood for games and I really don't appreciate all the secrecy.”
“Why? Don't you trust me?” he asked gently.
I raised my eyebrows, evading an honest answer. “It has nothing to do with trust. I just want to know where we’re going. Is that too much to ask?”
He gave me another knowing smile. “Not at all, cara. I thought it would be fun to keep you guessing for a while, but I see I have no choice than to satisfy your curiosity. Right now, we’re in Tuscany.”
“Tuscany?” I inquired, throwing a quick glance out the window. “Is that the name of the city where we’ll be staying?”
Both Alessandro and Giulio laughed.
“What? What did I say?” I asked in slight confusion.
“Tesoro, you’re excellent with the language, but you might want to brush up on your Italian geography. Tuscany is a region, not a city,” Alessandro pointed out.
“Oh.” I blushed in embarrassment. “So, where are we going, then?”
“You cannot be distracted, can you, Olivia?” he asked in a playful manner, handing me bottled water before cracking open his own.
“No. Not easily.” I remained serious, taking the drink from him.
“And would it be too much to ask to remain patient for a while longer?” he persisted.
“Why?” I demanded in a perplexed tone after taking a long sip.
“Because that’s what I prefer,” he muttered. “I don't want to talk about the place where we’re going. I want to let you experience it.”
“Okay. If that’s what you want.” I relented despite the feeling of uneasiness that stemmed from his hesitation to reveal where we were going.
We continued driving in an unknown direction. Alessandro was engaged in a trivial discussion about Italian food with Giulio. I didn't join their conversation, but remained silent and gazed outside the window. The road ahead was dark, and the only source of light was the car with the other three men trailing behind us. Perplexed with all the secrecy, my eyes roamed our shadowed surroundings. Nothing but endless fields and hills. One could easily dispose of a dead body in this secluded area. I froze, painfully aware I was stuck with four killers and their